Rural Report for Outback NT: Tuesday, December 17th 2013

Rough road ahead with more Top End mining

Top End cattle producers are concerned increased mining traffic may destroy the single-lane Roper Highway.

Miner Sherwin Iron is extracting a 200,000 tonne iron ore 'bulk sample' from a site just off the Roper Highway, about 150 kilometres east of Mataranka in the Northern Territory.

It just released its draft environmental impact statement, revealing that as many as 76 road trains will use the highway each day during peak production, trucking the ore for export from the Port of Darwin.

Jo Bloomfield, from Hodgson River Station, about 90 kilometres off the Roper Highway, says she's concerned the road will crumble under that kind of traffic.

"I'm quite stunned actually," she said.

"In some pretty gnarly blind corners and is quite built up, you've maybe got about a three or four foot drop to the table drain. Some are very steep.

"As soon as it starts to get a bit of moisture on it, I think you'd find the edges would really start to break up, especially if you've got trucks coming at teach other head off and they both need to pull off the road.

"I won't be travelling on it now if I know there's that many trucks on it.

"I'd rather go the long way and open a few extra gates."

Mystery mango disease not so mysterious

Carl Curtain

A cure for a so-called 'mystery disease' that has recently appeared in some Top End mangoes was found over 20 years ago, according to a renowned horticulturalist.

A mango packer and wholesaler spoke out this season when fruit emerged, tainted with resin canal, and even the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry admitted it knew little about the disease.

However Chris Nathaniel from Tropiculture Australia says his own research found the trees just need more fertiliser.

"We looked at silica and calcium as they strengthened plant cells and made the fruit much firmer.

"We found a product from Madura, Indonesia and almost overnight we overcame it, well within 12 months, it was all totally overcome," he said.

"The product consists of phosphorus, some of it quick release; silica, partly in an oxide form for a quick uptake; and calcium, partly in an oxide form."

He says the use of such fertiliser prevented resin canal appearing in the mangoes for some time.

"You use a product like that, and you would only use it every three to four years and you've overcome resin canal, partly stem-end separation and certainly you get a firmer fruit," he said.